Press release No. 318 of 6 July 2021
May 2021 (provisional): new orders in manufacturing
-3.7% on the previous month (price, seasonally and calendar adjusted)
+54.3% on the same month a year earlier (price and calendar adjusted)
April 2021 (revised): new orders in manufacturing
+1.2% on the previous month (price, seasonally and calendar adjusted)
+80.2% on the same month a year earlier (price and calendar adjusted)
WIESBADEN – According to provisional results of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), real (price adjusted) new orders decreased by a seasonally and calendar adjusted 3.7% in May 2021 compared with April 2021. Excluding major orders, real new orders in manufacturing were 3.7% lower than in the previous month.
Compared with February 2020, which was the month before restrictions were imposed due to the corona pandemic in Germany, new orders in May 2021 were 6.2% higher in seasonally and calendar adjusted terms. Compared with May 2020, a month very strongly affected by the pandemic, the increase in calendar adjusted new orders amounted to +54.3%.
Domestic orders increased by 0.9% and foreign orders went down by 6.7% in May 2021 on the previous month. New orders from the euro area decreased 2.3%, and new orders from other countries fell by 9.3% compared with April 2021 following increases recorded in the last few months.
In May 2021, the manufacturers of intermediate goods saw new orders decrease by 3.6% compared with April 2021. The manufacturers of capital goods saw a decrease of 4.6% on the previous month. Regarding consumer goods, new orders rose by 3.9%.
For April 2021, the revision of the preliminary outcome resulted in an increase of 1.2% compared with March 2021 (provisional: -0.2).
Turnover -0.5% on the previous month
According to provisional figures, real turnover in manufacturing (seasonally and calendar adjusted) stood at -0.5 % in May 2021, compared to the previous month. Compared with May 2020, the increase in calendar adjusted turnover amounted to +24.6%.
Compared with February 2020, which was the month before restrictions were imposed due to the corona pandemic in Germany, turnover in May 2021 were -5.4% lower in seasonally and calendar adjusted terms.
For April 2021, revision of the preliminary outcome resulted in a decrease of 2.5% compared with March 2021 (provisional: -2.6%).
Methodological notes
The differing comparative periods must be taken into account in all press releases on short-term indicators. Short-term economic monitoring focuses on comparisons with the previous month or previous quarter. These reflect short-term economic trends. A calendar adjusted comparison with the previous year is intended to offer a long-term comparison of levels and is not subject to seasonal fluctuations or calendar effects. Due to strong temporary decreases and increases during the current coronavirus crisis, the results of month-on-month/quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year comparisons may differ considerably. In order to provide also a direct comparison with the pre-crisis level, all press releases on short-term indicators available in seasonally adjusted form will, for the time being, include a comparison with February 2020 or the fourth quarter of 2019.
The data on new orders and turnover are based on the volume index of manufacturing, seasonally and calendar adjusted by means of X13 JDemetra+. (The underlying mathematical-statistical method is not fundamentally different from the previously applied method X-12-ARIMA.)
New orders and turnover are covered and evaluated in accordance with the Classification of Economic Activities, 2008 edition (WZ 2008). New orders are covered only in selected economic branches of manufacturing.
Detailed data and long time series are available from the GENESIS-Online database (42151-0004: indices of new orders; 42151-0008: indices of new orders excluding major orders; 42152-0004: turnover indices).
Crisis Monitor enables comparison between corona crisis and financial/economic crisis
The index of new orders is also part of the “Crisis Monitor“ (www.destatis.de/krisenmonitor), by means of which the Federal Statistical Office compares the development of major short-term indicators in the corona crisis and the financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009. The “Crisis monitor” complements the “Corona statistic“ webpage, which has provided statistical information on the economic and social consequences of the corona pandemic.
